Battle didn’t disappoint.
Boy, didn’t he.
“You live in a fantasy world fueled by being spoiled senseless your entire life,” he started. “Like using people you care about to find a way to pitch up here, embarrassing them, and putting my family in an awkward position, because you’ve somehow convinced yourself you can win me over. You can’t. I’ve shared that. You’re vain. You’re entitled. You’re a snob. You’ve been painfully overindulged and criminally pampered. And you’re shit in bed.”
Oh boy!
I sucked my lips between my teeth and my gaze flew to Prue.
She was pulling a stretched lips Yikes! face.
Chastity’s eyes were as wide as saucers.
But Courtney looked (almost) as gleeful as Tempie.
“It’s entirely unattractive you don’t know how hard people have to work to pay a fucking gas bill,” Battle went on. “And if I had to suffer through your amateur attempts at sucking me off one more time, I’d have considered putting a gun to my head. The problem with that is, I know you have a lot of practice at the act, you’re just so fucking self-involved, you don’t realize the man you’re blowing is the person who’s supposed to feel something.”
“I cannot believe you just said that to me,” she whispered.
“Three months ago, I told you we weren’t going to work,” Battle reminded her. “We’d been seeing each other for only three months by the time that happened. There were no promises. We didn’t move in together. We hadn’t even talked future, because that was never a consideration for me.”
He swung an arm across the table and continued talking.
“But here you are. And you just popped into my box at the symphony but stayed the entire intermission. And three times, you just happened to be at Mangano’s during the weekly lunch I take with mates. We do this so we can catch up, but not with exes who I don’t want to see. You crashed Alfie and Lulu’s house party. Like you did here, they weren’t prepared to host you, so their staff was running around sorting a room for you while you drank a martini and complained about the rude sales associate you ran into at Pucci.”
“Battle, I just?—”
“You called at my house in London and fell into my arms crying about some slight a girlfriend dealt you. Then pretended to fall asleep in my arms. After I left you on the couch, you tried to crawl into my bed. Yes, Chelsea, you need to believe I’m saying these things to you. Because my next step is a chat with your father. And I’ll be sharing with him, if your shit doesn’t cease, the step after that will be a restraining order, because this is blatant stalking.”
She hopped in her seat and snapped, “I’m hardly stalking you, Battle Talyn.”
He stared hard at her sitting where she was sitting, a seat she had not strictly been invited to take, but he said nothing.
Chelsea then made huge mistake number two.
She stated, “Oh my God, you can’t possibly think you’ll do better than me.”
“Think, no. Know, yes,” Battle replied.
She tossed a hand to me. “With her?”
“Chels, maybe—” Rally tried to intervene.
“You’ve missed the point yet again,” Battle growled. “What I have, or don’t, with Vivienne or anyone is none of your fucking business. And since I’m making myself clear, you earned this by taking a nice night, where people were enjoying themselves, and forcing Vivi to remember she’d recently lost her mother, some time ago lost her father and only has three grandparents and a sister left in her family, and she’s only thirty-two years old. Did you apologize for reminding Vivi of her grief? Fuck no. You stood your ground. Now I’m sharing, that’s the hill you’re going to die on because we’ve been done, but I can make it so that we’re so done, you’ll wish you never heard my name.”
With that, he pushed his chair back, stood and looked down at Rally.
“I’m sorry, mate. I need to speak with Fitzy about a taxi and a hotel booking. However, please know, you and Court are very welcome to stay.” He turned to Chelsea. “Go and pack. Tonight, you’re leaving.”
She pushed up too, shouting, “You can’t possibly?—!”
Battle cut her off. “You can pack and walk out my front door to a taxi, or the police can escort you. Your choice.”
“Fuck you, Battle!” she shrieked. “You made no promises? What was I supposed to think when you were eating my pussy?”
Oh man, I needed to vamoose and pronto.
We all did.
